If you happen to be in Toronto this weekend, you may want to find your way down to Massey Hall on Saturday night for a one-night-only performance called Och and Oy!, starring actor Alan Cumming and NPR correspondent Ari Shapiro. Their collaborative show is a mix of cabaret and storytelling, and to mark its debut, I’m diving into the Sewers archives to revisit my 2018 conversation with Ari Shapiro, who was then as now one of the hosts of NPR’s flagship show All Things Considered. As a journalist, Ari primarily tells other people's stories, but his own story is considerably is more winding than you might expect -- behind his calm voice is a man who spent time as an undocumented immigrant, who carried mace for protection in high school, and who might never have found his place on the radio if a gay icon hadn't intervened on his behalf.
We’ll have that conversation in a minute. First, a reminder that I’ve got a book coming out this May about the history of queer characters on sitcoms, from Bewitched to The Golden Girls to Friends. It’s called Hi Honey, I’m Homo. Pre-orders are open — and those pre-orders are so important, so if you’ve been meaning to get one in, now’s the time! Head over to gaysitcoms.com to reserve your copy.
And if you like pop culture history, check out my YouTube channel for tales from behind the scenes of iconic movies and TV shows! I just posted a video about the movie The Birdcage and its long winding journey to the screen, and I’ve got another coming soon about a gay couple that transformed the way television depicted queer people in the 1970s — and the psychiatrist who tried to stop them. Check those videos out at YouTube.com/mattbaume.
Fandom Acts of Kindness (Ep 412 - Kaela Joseph and Tanya Cook)
Hiding out in a Theater (Ep 411 - JP & me/Phantom of the Opera & Harriet the Spy)
Wanting to Be Him and to Date Him (Ep 410 - Noah/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles)
Driving a Jeep at 90 Miles an Hour (Ep 409 - Brini Maxwell/Auntie Mame)
Maybe I'm Not Gay, Maybe I'm a Skater (Ep 408 - Edgar/Tony Hawk)
Beware of the World (Ep 407 - Josh/My Best Friend's Wedding)
The Actual Mayor of Emeryville (Ep 406 - 90s Alt-Rock/Mayor John Bauters)
I'm Going to Read About Murders (Ep 405 - Agatha Christie/Paul Baker)
I Get a Kick Out of Freaking People Out (Ep 404 - Interview With the Vampire/Levi Hastings)
All Monsters Are People (Ep 403 - Attack of the Killer Tomatoes/Michael Varrati)
My Second Life (Ep 402 - Phantom of the Opera/Chris Geidner)
Giving Myself Permission to Get a Little Bit Sexier (Ep 401 - French Comics/Josh Cornillon)
I Think I Quit (Ep 400 - The Front Runner/TJ Klune
Jewels and Gold and Butts (Ep 399 - Pink Narcissus/Ian MacKinnon)
The Taste of an Old Queen (Ep 398 - Kyle Turner/Bringing up Baby)
Like I Was the Star (Ep 397 - Kevin/Reality TV)
Morbid Curiosities (Ep 396 - Disaster books/Chris Steadman)
My Heel Connected with his Jaw (Ep 395 - Tomie dePaola/Trung Le Nguyen)
Climbing a Mountain Every Day (Ep 395 - Stephen/Ballet)
Musical Theater on the Subway (Ep 394 - Brett/Broadway)
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